Charade
by LustForTheLetters
Summary: As much as Simon wished it wasn't there, he knew that it was, and while he couldn't particularly think of Ralph to be the kind to fall victim for Jack Merridew of all people, he still hoped that Ralph would be happy. Little did he knew that this was only part of a charade that was, in fact, much bigger than what it seemed. Ralmon/Rogice/slight Jalph. Oneshot. Completed.


With the tapping of his pencil distracting him, he tried to block out the conversation forming from behind him.

It was difficult beyond compare to be fixated on something else than their laughter, their ogling eyes and _oh_, the _swoons_. Simon told himself that it wasn't worth the trouble of moving away or being stirred up by this, for he knew that this was bound to happen sooner or later, however he still couldn't grasp as to why his friend, his dear, caring friend...would fall prey to the obvious swine.

Jack Merridew was clearly the flirtatious type. Simon already knew this information, and his blood bubbled from inside him at just the thought, yet the boy didn't actually think that Ralph would fall victim to the likes of him. Rather, he had expected the blonde boy to stir clear of any sign from the redheaded demon, but he guessed that even someone like him couldn't stay away for too long. Jack was just the kind of person to pursue something until it's rightfully his...even though Simon knew well enough he deserved this prize more than the other boy did.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

"Stop it, Jack, you're going to get us in trouble." Simon heard a nagging voice whisper from behind him, obviously belonging to the same boy that was probably begging for it anyway. Along with that whining came the casual snicker.

"The ol' hag probably doesn't even have a clue. Just shut up and quit making so much noise."

Controlling, _seductive_ even, there was a another voice that hushed the first one up right away with what was probably either a quick kiss or a bite of the ear. Simon could practically hear Ralph make a slight moan from wherever he was, and he shuddered at just the mere idea. Ralph making such noises for another man was more than Simon could possibly think about, and he was sure that if he dared to think of it yet again, he might as well pierce his tapping pencil through his heart and watch as the blood would slowly drain out. It was probably far more entertaining than what he had to put up with at that moment.

The other children seemed too preoccupied in their own doings to possibly pay attention to the lesson that day, with the teacher going on and on about the glory days and how civilization seemed much more rational back then, but Simon could honestly care less. His notes that he was was taking were smudged somewhere in his backpack, far too deep for the boy to actually reach in and get it, and his mind was too concerned with the giggles and pathetic noise making he could hear from behind him. Ralph was speaking once again.

"I'm being serious, Jack. What happens if she sees us...?"

"Let her see. Let 'em all see, there's nothing for either of us to be ashamed about."

_Except for the single fact that we're inside a Catholic school and the idea of you two being 'gracefully accepted' is sheer bologna?_ Simon thought to himself, pressing his pencil down on his desk and watching the lead crackle from the pressure.

He tried very hard not to be too angry with the two of them, but Simon found himself getting more and more irritated every time he saw the two of them together. Whether of not this was mere jealousy was something that Simon wasn't sure of - after all, Simon wasn't necessarily the envious type. All he knew was that Ralph was with someone else besides him, and quite honestly, that made all the difference in the world. Especially with someone by the name of Jack Merridew.

The bell rang a few minutes afterwards, and while the children behaved such as rampant mice clambering through a cage, Simon made sure to take his time walking outside towards the school hallways. He was much more careful in making sure that he wasn't going to be squished by the likes of other students much stronger and taller than he was, and as he grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, he could clearly tell that the two boys he had been eavesdropping earlier were taking their sweet time as well. It was almost ironic how coincidental this all seemed.

"Same place?" Ralph muttered, not even seeing Simon still remaining with the perimeter of the classroom. The quiet boy turned his head slightly to see Jack smirk as he always did before leaning in and chuckling into Ralph's ear, almost as though they had some dark fun to be made before the day was done.

"Same place, and don't even think about making me wait...such as the last time. You wouldn't want me to punish you, would you?"

The idea of Jack punishing Ralph for the sake of pure fulfillment made Simon literally want to go outside and jump in front of the nearest car. It didn't really help that Ralph seemed to think this was 'romantic,' and actually giggle alongside him. for the two boys merely left without saying another word but letting their lips lock.

Simon stood within the empty classroom with a baffled look on his face, wondering what kind of place Jack was going to take Ralph to, and what exactly they were planning on doing there. Simon had an idea, but he didn't want to think of it for more than a couple of seconds before quickly shaking his head and wanting to think of something else. After all, they were all in high school...this kind of thing was pretty normal in itself.

The hallways were thankfully barren by the time he had returned to his own locker, and he was grateful that he didn't have to push and shove to get back to return his stuff. It was a hassle of being a midget compared to the rest of the people in his school, so he had to be extra defensive when it came to being squashed by the 'traffic jams' and other things. Sometimes he even wondered if his height was what made Ralph pick Jack instead...

_No_.

Simon sighed, shaking that thought away from his mind. Why would he think of his height as being the controlling factor for Ralph's obvious disappointment? Simon didn't even think that Ralph thought of him as a sheer nuisance, for why would the boy continue to hang around him now and then if he did? However, Simon knew more than anything that he couldn't let his emotions cling onto him, even though it hurt that he continued to feel so bitter about this entire situation.

Jack was just obviously the better suitor, as much as Simon wanted to disagree.

* * *

"You okay? You look like you're about to faint...again."

Simon broke his concentration away from his sandwich he was nibbling on, peanut butter without the jelly, as usual, to face a familiar hand moving up and down in his vision. Maurice seemed to be easily entertained in making sure that Simon's attention was on him.

"...huh?" The smaller of the two questioned, watching as Maurice sat back and smiled from ear to ear. Whether or not Maurice was smiling simply because he could or he was actually happy was beyond Simon to understand.

"You seem to be really out of it today...I mean, I know you fade out like nobody's business, but you've been gawking in that general direction for at least the last couple of minutes."

Simon looked towards the taller of the two, who was looking deep into his eyes, as though trying to solve a intricate puzzle. With their own friendship, Maurice was already well adjusted to Simon's random fits of buzzing out, so Simon was actually comfortable knowing that Maurice figured as much.

"I guess things have just been on my mind is all," Simon muttered, letting himself indulge in another big bite of the creamy brown paradise. Maurice tilted his head to the same and gave that innocent and curious look that made him seem irresistible, even on Simon's standards.

"...what kind of things?"

"Just...I don't know. You ever feel as though you see something and you wish it never existed?"

Maurice smiled slightly, his brown eyes lighting up in the sunlight of the afternoon.

"Oh yeah, all the time. Especially whenever I'm at my mum's house and she decides to get dressed right as I walk into the house...in the middle of the living room...without knowing that I'd be coming in..." Maurice shuddered, closing his eyes and sticking his tongue out in disgust. Simon laughed, enjoying the comedic moments that only could come from having Maurice as a friend.

"Why do you ask anyways?" Maurice asked after a little bit of their laughing, relaxing against the side of the cafeteria wall where their table was leaning onto. Simon wiped his face with his napkin, simply shaking his head and waving his hand as though it meant nothing.

"It's nothing really. Just curiosity." Maurice heard his friend say this and he just shrugged, placing his hands behind his head and glancing up towards the ceiling. After a while of silence, Simon still couldn't get the idea of Ralph and Jack away from his head, and another question managed to bubble up from him before he had the time to think it through.

"Maurice...if you saw Roger hanging around someone else, like someone that made him really happy...what would you do exactly? Er, how would you feel anyway?"

Maurice seemed to be genuinely surprised by this question, for he sat straight up and cocked an eyebrow down in confusion.

"Well...I would probably be really confused as to why he would be. I mean, no offense to him or anything, but Roger isn't really the type to be caught onto what someone else if doing and actually giving a damn. But...I would honestly say that I be angry, if anything."

"But why would you be angry? Because Roger is giving more attention towards the other person than you, or is it because you're merely jealous?"

"Simon I really don't understand why you're asking me this...but I guess, yeah. I mean, obviously if someone if hanging out my boyfriend I am going to get a little suspicious. Then again, it's not like I would really care if Roger has other guyfriends, just as long as he doesn't get too attached to them or anything. Why the heck are you asking me this?"

"...curiosity I guess." Simon muttered as he did before, taking his juice and sipping the last remainders of it before letting it crumple up in his hand. Maurice stared in bafflement for the longest time before simply sighing and leaning against the wall again.

"But you know Simon, there is something about Roger that I do know for certain."

"What's that?" Simon asked, raising his eyes and watching as Mauice smiled from ear to ear and looked up in a loving way.

"I know that, no matter what Roger does or who he is with, I would do absolutely everything in my power to make sure he is mine. Even if he tries to push me away in the long run, I would always care for him and hope that he would be happy."

Maurice looked towards Simon and chuckled lightly, having his face turn slightly red from the confession.

"Besides, just as long as Roger's happy...I guess that makes me happy too, you know?"

With the bell ringing to signal that lunch was over and the next period was about to begin, Simon watched as his friend waved goodbye and started to walk towards his own class, throwing his trash away in the process. Simon wasn't exactly what to do with what Maurice had told him, but he could only look towards Ralph and smile.

What makes him happy...makes me happy too. I should just accept what is what and move on.

* * *

Meeting up with such barren hallways once again, Simon was finally at his locker again and getting out his folders for studying, considering that this period was a free period and that he honestly didn't need that much material for this class other than his papers from his other classes. He closed the locker door, glancing towards the end of the hallway where his class was before sighing and listening to the ticking noises of the clock above him. He still couldn't get Ralph out from his head, even though he told himself he was going to be more accepting about it, but he knew that if he was going to be happy for what Ralph wants to do, he has to think about other things.

"A lot harder than it sounds," Simon told himself before smiling and walking down the hallway.

He couldn't really tell what caused it however, but for some reason, he managed to actually trip on himself and lose his pencil in the process. He caught himself and straightened himself up, watching as the pencil hit the ground and rolled into the direction of an open classroom. The door was open all the way, and the light was beaming out from the inside, yet it didn't seem as though there was anybody in there as of the moment, since most of the teachers were normally eating lunch themselves during that time. Simon leaned down towards the ground to pick up the pencil from the edge of the door, before he heard a rather odd noise coming from the inside. It almost sounded as though there were hisses and rather strange...seductive noises?

Simon could only guess as to who they were. It was probably Ralph and Jack, he figured, and while he told himself to just get up and walk away, his curiosity piqued him to further venture into this possibility. The boy couldn't just hear these noises and think of it as something without fully knowing, so he managed to peak his face into the side of the door and look through the little space that was available for him.

There was Jack - that was clearly understood. There was no other boy that had such a bright color of red for his hair, and Jack could be picked out of a crowd quicker than a donkey was to be picked from a herd of horses. However, the confusing part was that Ralph was nowhere in sight. In actuality, there didn't seem to be a blonde boy anywhere in Simon's vision, and in fact, there was another boy that looked awfully different than Ralph did. This boy was one that Simon wasn't completely sure of who it was, simply because the dark brown hair and dark skin was unfamiliar to him.

Jack was placed in a position with his head thrown back, obviously in a state of pure pleasure, while it appeared as though the other boy was placed in a lower position, on his knees and his head awfully close to Jack's skin. It seemed almost as though they were...

Simon instantly blushed at knowing exactly what the two boys were doing. Regardless of who the second boy was, Simon knew that it wasn't Ralph, and this alone was enough for the black haired boy to instantly get angry. If Jack was actually cheating on Ralph for someone else...

Needless to say, Simon was beyond frustrated. He was completely infuriated, and for someone such as himself...this was pretty rare in itself. He watched (closing his ears off quickly before) as Jack straightened himself up from where he was sitting on the student desk and looking down as though he had gotten off a crack ride.

"That was amazing...you're pretty good."

The other boy, who of which still remained unfamiliar to Simon, simply smirked and laughed it off.

"Let's just say I'm a visual learner. I pick up things rather quickly...wait, aren't you supposed to be going off to be doing that assignment in like ten minutes? Didn't think we'd be staying for this long."

"Leave it be...I can just make up an excuse in the long run," Jack smirked alongside the other boy and pinned him down, not long before enjoying an over dramatic smooch and leaving Simon disgusted, as usual.

Simon could think of anything else than to run to Ralph, wherever he may be, and confess everything that he had seen to him. The only bad thing was that Ralph probably wouldn't believe him, considering that he was too much in love not to think twice about his guy cheating on him, and Simon would obviously need the proof. Without a second of hesitation, the boy whipped out his cellphone and managed to snatch a photo of the scene with his camera.

_If this can't convince him, then I honestly don't know what will._

Simon knew that if he didn't tell him, then nothing would get resolved, and everything would just be spiraling further and further down from where it started.

And with that, Simon fled.

* * *

Simon remembered that Ralph and Jack established a time to meet somewhere known as, "The Same Place." Whatever it was, Simon wasn't exactly sure, but the boy could feel his heart tie itself in knots just knowing that he would have to move quickly in order to find him before the next period came up. He ran around in all the remaining classrooms trying to find him, and even though he couldn't spot a trace, he remained persistent in his chase. He eventually wandered outdoors, to where there were more places he would have to look around in order to spot him.

It almost seemed pretty hopeless too, considering that Simon literally looked around everywhere in the perimeter for just the sight of him, however he managed to come across a clearing in the forestry area around a few areas away from the school that was pretty convincing. After all, there was a good looking blonde boy in a British school uniform that was sitting, looking mighty patient, for someone to come and have some fun with him.

"Hello?" Ralph called out, looking around and picturing a redheaded boy with the same uniform and logo walking through the bushes and managing to flash a bright smile. However, it was only Simon himself, and with that, Ralph blushed and instantly narrowed his eyes.

"Simon? What are you doing here...and how did you know I was here?" The other boy sighed in relief, knowing that he only had a few more minutes to spare before the time would be up, and he quickly crouched near the other boy and started to pull his phone out of his uniform pocket.

"Ralph, that doesn't really matter right now...there is something that I need to tell you. I have been looking for the longest time simply because there is something that you need to know. However, don't freak out once I tell you."

Simon took Ralph's silence as a sign to go ahead and continue, even though he looked awfully uncomfortable, so without another second Simon went ahead and said what he had to say. He explained the entire situation about the two boys being in the seemingly vacant classroom, and how Simon managed to swipe pictures of the two of them being physical with one another. Simon quickly clicked on the picture and showed it to the other boy, watching as a look of sheer uncertainly washed over him.

"Is this...is this serious?" Ralph muttered, his eyes wide and the green color seeming to darken as his emotions became all the more visible. Simon sadly nodded, knowing that whenever Ralph was feeling this way, it could only rub off on him as well.

"Unfortunately. I managed to catch the scene because my pencil fell on the ground and they were in the open classroom...I don't understand why they wouldn't close the door, but...it doesn't really matter now."

Ralph obviously looked as though he was mixed between sheer anger and being dumbfounded of what to do next. He got up from where he was sitting and returned Simon's phone, quickly wiping any signs that showed he was starting to become emotionally broken.

It was nothing but a charade, Simon knew this much, but he watched as the blonde boy moved away from the clearing and starting to head back towards the building, turning his head around and summoning Simon to walk alongside him. Simon obediently followed, only knowing that whatever was going to happen, it would be quite interesting of how the aftermath would play out.

"Simon...thanks for telling me this," Ralph whispered, looking towards the other boy and managing to give off a slight smile, even though Simon knew that deep down the other boy was crying.

Simon smiled back, even though he knew that, deep down, he was crying as well.

* * *

Once the two of them had managed to reach back to the building, the next period bell actually rang right on time. Ralph didn't say yet another word, only walked with his head held high and a sense of pride being shown from within him, and whatever kind of revenged was being plotted from inside of his mind, Simon was sure that he was going to enjoy seeing this from Jack.

_Normally I don't get this angry towards people...but for Jack, it's always a special case, isn't it?_

The two boys walked into the classroom with their things, sitting down accordingly to their seats and only being able to look at each other and share a common look. Ralph looked nothing else but wanting to strangle something innocent and hang it by its neck on a tree, and Simon merely played around with the same pencil as he had earlier, pressing it down like before and watching the led break off.

As soon as the devil himself walked into the classroom, he walked over to where Ralph was sitting before looking down with saddened eyes.

"Look Ralph, I know I didn't really make it on time to our same place...hopefully you can forgive me this time. I promise I will make it up to you and everything, such as I always do," he whispered, leaning down and smirking towards the other boy, even though he looked as though he was faking his sincerity. Ralph merely smirked back and nodded.

"Oh, I completely understand Jack Merridew, and I promise that I completely understand why you weren't able to come. Maybe next time, hm?" The boy continued to smirk as Jack confusingly walked away, and even Simon himself seemed a little baffled at whatever was going on within Ralph's mind. As the teacher walked in, Ralph raised his hand and asked to be called on.

"May I be excused to go to the restroom, Miss Anderson?" He asked, and the older woman seemed to nod as Ralph stood up and walked towards the door.

Simon could even catch Ralph looking back towards him and winking a mischievous little wink before exiting the room, and after a few minutes of him being gone, Simon watched as Ralph reentered the room. Once he sat down, he turned towards Simon and gave him a thumbs up, and why he did, Simon couldn't even guess. He simply left the remaining class finish itself before athletics came along next period.

~~~~~~~~~~  
Simon remembered that during athletic, everything was all fine and dandy. Nothing suspicious was even remotely visible...and then towards the end of the period, Jack started to freeze up in the face and his cheeks became unbearably red.

"You alright there Jackie?" Maurice wondered, poking Jack in the shoulder and watching as the British boy hissed towards him.  
"Don't touch me!"

"Merridew, you gonna run extra miles for talking? Quit the blabber and get back to work!" Their coach cried out, and Jack merely groaned from hopping uncomfortably.

Simon turned towards Ralph and whispered to him, "What exactly did you do to him? He looks like he's going to break down in pain any minute now."

The blonde boy simply smiled and laughed before answering. "Let's just say that a good friend of mine let me borrow some special powder he had...and I took it upon myself to let his gym shorts get the best of it, hm?"

Simon smiled, obviously enjoying this awful little trick too much, and as Jack was trying to move around in the unbearable pain he was in, the coach came around and actually noticed how miserable he seemed before letting him take of the business in the restroom.

"Itching powder certainly does wonders doesn't it?" Simon asked, and Ralph laughed before winking back.

"Sure does."

Simon smiled and felt his cheeks redden a little before witnessing Ralph moving in and getting close enough to his own ear.

"I know I already said this before, but thanks again for telling me about the whole situation...you know, you're pretty sweet. A whole lot more sweeter than Jack, anyway."

All it took was for Ralph to grab Simon's hand and give it a light squeeze before moving away and getting with his group in the middle of the gym, and even then it seemed as though Simon had left this world and had venture to cloud nine. He could still feel the warmth of Ralph's hand even after the period ended twenty minutes later, and he walked away from the school with a hum in his head and a good beat in his heart.

Maybe Maurice was right after all, that as long as someone else was happy, you would be happy as well. Even though the charade didn't go quite as Simon had expected, he was still glad enough that the illusion was the clear and that reality had risen to the surface once again.

And hopefully, Simon thought to himself, it would stay that way.

**Gosh so many line breaks...anywho, I think I am going to be publishing some individual oneshots from now on just because I like it...I don't know. Haha I will still be uploading The Most Random One-Shots and such, I will be making other ones as well to go along with it though. **

**So, did you guys enjoy this particular oneshot? Hit me up and tell me what you think! Thanks for all the reviews for my other stuff and few favorites and followers. Without you guys, I would obviously not be making more of this stuff, so thanks. A lot :D**

**-LustForTheLetters**


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